Group media access control message for machine-to-machine devices and method to update a group identifier

ABSTRACT

Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, if two or more deices belong to a multicast group, a media access control (MAC) message may be transmitted to the multicast group as a multicast message to provide parameters and/or instructions to the devices. If the devices are in an idle mode, the MAC message may be transmitted during a paging listening interval. A group message may be transmitted as a multicast message to one or more devices in one or more groups in order to assign, reassign, or update the group identifier or multiple devices. If an acknowledgment message was not received by one or more the devices, the group message may be transmitted as a unicast message to the one or devices from which no acknowledgment message was received.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims file benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/533,689 filed Sep. 12, 2011. Said Application No. 61/633,689 is hereby incorporated, by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems may involve an arrangement of devices in a network to periodically transmit and/or receive relatively small amounts of data to a remote application/server. Machine-to-machine systems are sometimes referred to as an “Internet of things” to exchange information between a subscriber station and a server in a core network via a wireless link with a base station or a wired link, or alternatively between other subscriber stations, wherein the exchange of information may be carried out without requiring or involving human interaction. For example, field data may be gathered by the M2M devices and sent back to a monitoring station for collection and analysis. In such an example, the M2M devices may comprise parking meters. When the parking meter is full of coins and is ready to be emptied, a given parking meter may communicate its state to a monitoring server coupled to the network, in which case an operator may then go that parking meter and remove the coins stored therein. In yet another example, M2M devices may be deployed to monitor for the presence of a specified hazardous substance such as a chemical agent, a biological agent, and/or a radionuclide wherein the M2M device includes an appropriate sensor.

In an M2M system, the serving base station may need to send control and/or management information to several M2M devices in an M2M group using a single control message. Sending control messages to each M2M device individually may be inefficient if the M2M devices only need to receive the same control messages with the same or similar instructions for all devices in the M2M group.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Claimed subject matter is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. However, such subject matter may be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings in which;

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a machine-to-machine (M2M) system illustrating the transmission of an M2M Group media access control message in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a machine-to-machine (M2M) system illustrating the transmission of a message to update die group identifiers of M2M devices in a group in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of the M2M system of FIG. 2 in which the M2M devices acknowledge reception of the group identifier update message in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of the M2M system of FIG. 2 in which a unicast transmission is made to M2M devices that have not acknowledged reception of the group identifier message in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a diagram of the M2M system of FIG, 2 in which the M2M device acknowledges reception of the group identifier message in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a diagram of an example architecture of as machine-to-machine (M2M) system as shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 5 above illustrating the mobile network operator and the service consumer in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a method to update a machine-to-machine (M2M) group identifier in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an information handling system capable of updating a machine-to-machine (M2M) group identifier in accordance with one or more embodiments; and

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of an information handling system of FIG. 8 that optionally may include a touch screen in accordance with one or more embodiments.

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and/or clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, if considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding and/or analogous elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subject matter. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components and/or circuits have not been described in detail.

In the following description and/or claims, the terms coupled and/or connected, along with their derivatives, may be used. In particular embodiments, connected may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical and/or electrical contact with each other. Coupled may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical and/or electrical contact. However, coupled may also mean that two or more elements may not be in direct contact with each other, but yet may still cooperate and/or interact with each other For example, “coupled” may mean that two or more elements do not contact each other but are indirectly joined together via another element or intermediate elements. Finally, the terms “on,” “overlying,” and “over” may be used in the following description and claims. “On,” “overlying,” and “over” may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical contact with each other. However, “over” may also mean that two or more elements are not ill direct contact with each other. For example, “over” may mean that one element is above another element but not contact each other and may have another element or elements in between the two elements. Furthermore, the term “and/or” may mean “and”, it may mean “or”, it may mean “exclusive-or”, it may mean “one”, it may mean “some, but not all”, it may mean “neither”, and/or it may mean “both”, although the scope of claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. In the following, description and/or claims, the terms “comprise” and “include,” along with their derivatives, may be used and are intended as synonyms for each other.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a diagram of a machine-to-machine (M2M) system illustrating the transmission of an M2M Group media access control message in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. As shown in FIG, 1, a machine-to-machine (M2M) system 100 may include a base station 110 that serves one or more groups of M2M devices such as a first M2M group 118 of M2M devices and a second M2M group 124 of M2M devices. The first M2M group 118 may comprise M2M mobile station 112. M2M mobile station 114, and M2M mobile station 116 as an example. The second M2M group 124 likewise may comprise a group of M2M mobile stations such as M2M mobile station 120 and M2M mobile station 122. Although FIG. 1 illustrates M2M mobile stations, other types of M2M devices or users may also be included in an M2M group, for example a fixed M2M device, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect.

In one or more embodiments, base station 110 may send control and/or management information and instructions to a group of M2M devices using a single control message 102. The single control message 102 allows the base station 110 to send control signals with the same and/or similar instructions to each M2M device in a group of M2M devices that belong to the same M2M group. For example, the control message 102 may be sent to the first M2M group 118 wherein the message may be directed toward all of the devices in the first M2M group 118. In one or more embodiments, the control message 102 comprises a media access control (MAC) message to communicate with a group of M2M devices, and may be referred to as an M2M Group MAC Control (MGMC) message. The base station 110 sends the MGMC control message 102 to communicate parameters and/or instructions to a group of M2M mobile stations that belong to the same M2M group. For example, base Station 110 may transmit the MGMC control message 102 to the M2M mobile stations in the first M2M group 148. The MGMC control message 102 may be sent to the M2M devices in the same M2M group when the M2M devices are in a connected state or in an idle state. In one or more particular embodiments, if the M2M devices are in an idle state, then the MGMC control message 102 may be sent during a paging listening interval for such devices that are in an idle state. Thus, the MGMC control message 102 may be multicast to all M2M devices within an M2M group rather than being transmitted in a unicast manner to each of the M2M devices individually. In such an arrangement, the MGMC control message 102 may reach all of the M2M devices in a single M2M group via a single message so as to not overload the M2M system with a large number of individual control messages that contain essentially the same information but only differing by address. The M2M devices may send a reply to the MGMC control message 102 with an M2M acknowledgment (ACK) MAC Control (MANIC) message. Using a single MGMC control message 102 for multiple devices within a group may further be useful especially where the number of M2M devices in a given M2M group is increasingly large which as a result may reduce the overhead of the M2M system 100. Furthermore using a single message for a group of devices may likewise be applied to update the group identifiers for one or more M2M groups as shown in and described with respect to FIG. 2, below.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram of a machine-to-machine (M2M) system illustrating the transmission of a message to update the group identifiers of M2M devices in a group in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. As shown in FIG. 2, the base station 110 may communicate with all of the devices in at particular M2M group, such as the first M2M group 118 or the second M2M group 124, based on a group identifier for a given group. For example, the group identifier may comprise a machine-to-machine (M2M) Group identifier (MGID) as set forth in accordance with an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard such as the IEEE 802.16p standard, although the scope or the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. In one or more embodiments, the MGID comprises a 15-bit identifier that uniquely identifies an M2M device group in the domain of the network entity that assigns an MGID to a group to which one or more M2M devices belong. The domain of the network entity may be identified by an M2M zone. An MGID is assigned to one or more service flows of an M2M device by a network entity after initial network entry, and may be released daring an explicit network exit such as a power down location update. The MGID may be retained by an M2M device even in an idle mode unless the M2M device exits from the network or if the network entity explicitly deletes the server flow associated with the MGID. The MGID may be reassigned daring normal mode and during idle mode. If the group identifier of one or more groups needs to be assigned reassigned, or updated, an IEEE 802.16 base station 110 may send information in an idle mode about the updated MGID to a group of M2M devices in a paging message such as the PAG-ADV message. In such an arrangement, the MGID for the group identifiers may be updated, assigned, or reassigned via a single multicast message rather than multiple individual messages for each of the multiple devices in the group.

In one or more embodiments, the MGID of the M2M devices may he updated, assigned, or reassigned when the devices are in an idle mode via a paging message. For example, the mobile stations in the first M2M group 118 may have a first MGID, and the mobile stations in the second M2M group 124 may have a second MGID, and it may be desired to combine the first M2M group 118 with the second M2M group 124 into a single M2M group 204 wherein all of the devices will be assigned to a third MGID. The group update message 202 may be transmitted by the base station 110 to all of the mobile stations in both M2M groups via the page advertisement (PAG-ADV) paging message, in some embodiments, in a connected mode, the base station 110 may use the M2M Group MAC Control (MCMC) message that includes the MGID value to transmit to multiple. M2M devices simultaneously as shown in and described with respect to FIG. 1, above. In such connected mode embodiments, acknowledgments may by the M2M devices may be made via an M2M acknowledgment (ACK) MAC Control message (MAMC). During an idle mode, the MGID may be changed by location update via a base station initiated location update or via network reentry through a ranging response message. If the base station 110 updates the MGID through a base station initiated location update, the base station may perform a group location update in addition to an individual location update. If the base station 110 changes the MGID of all M2M devices within a multicast group, the base station 110 may perform a group location update via a paging message. Alternatively, if the M2M devices perform a timer based update, the base station 110 may update the MGID of one or more M2M devices via a ranging response (RNG-RSP) message that includes the new or updated MGID that the base station 110 transmits to one or more of the M2M devices in response to a ranging request (RNG-REQ) message transmitted by one or more of the M2M devices. The base station 110 may then listen to acknowledgement messages transmitted back from the M2M devices as shown in and described with respect to FIG. 3, below.

Referring now to FIG, 3, a diagram of the M2M system of FIG. 2 in which the M2M devices acknowledge reception of the group identifier update message in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. After receiving the PAG-ADV paging message 202 farm the base station 110 in an idle mode, the M2M mobile stations in idle mode that successfully received the PAG-ADV paging message 202 will transmit acknowledgement (ACK) messages, for example ACK message 310, ACK message 312, ACK message 314, and ACK message 316, to the base station 110 to indicate to the base station 110 that the mobile stations have successfully received the PAG-ADV paging message 202 and are now assigned to the new MGID. The ACK messages may be carried on a ranging request (RNG-REQ) message. In some embodiments, in a connected mode, the base station 110 may use the M2M Group MAC Control (MGMC) message that includes the MGID value to transmit to multiple M2M devices simultaneously as shown in and described with respect to FIG. 1, above. In such connected mode embodiments, acknowledgments may by the M2M devices may be made via an M2M acknowledgment (ACK) MAC Control message (MAMC). However, in either an idle or a connected mode, it is possible that not all of the mobile stations, such as M2M mobile station 116, have successfully received the PAG-ADV message 202, or the MGMC message, or it is possible that NUM mobile station 116 did successfully receive the PAG-ADV message 202 or the MGMC message, but the base station 110 did not receive an ACK message from the M2M mobile station 116. In such situations, the base station 110 identifies which of the M2M mobile stations, such as M2M mobile station 116, from which it did not receive any ACK message so that the base station 110 may ensure that those M2M mobile stations 116 are updated with the new MGID as shown in and described with respect to FIG. 4, below.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a diagram of the M2M system of FIG. 2 in which a unicast transmission is made to M2M devices that have not acknowledged reception of the group identifier message in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. As shown in FIG. 4, if the base station 110 does not receive an ACK message from M2M devices that were part of the M2M groups to which the PAG-ADV paging message 202 was sent in an idle mode, or the MGMC message in a connected mode, the base station 110 may assume that those M2M devices from which no ACK message is received have missed the MGID update information. In the next paging cycle, the base station 110 may ask those particular M2M devices to perform a location update. The base station 110 may then transmit one or more unjust messages 402 having the new MGID value to those specific M2M devices, for example via a ranging-response (RNG-RSP) unicast message 402, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a diagram of the M2M system of FIG. 2 in which the M2M device acknowledges reception of the group identifier message in accordance with one or inure embodiments will be discussed. As shown in FIG. 5, after receiving the unicast message from the base station 110 to update its MGID, for example the RNG-RSP message 402, the M2M mobile station 116 may transmit an ACK message 502 to the base station 110 to acknowledge the MGID update. In a connected mode, the ACK message 502 may comprise a MAMC message. The base station 110 may then communicate with the group of M2M devices using the updated MGID. By adding an MGID indicator message to the paging message in order to update, assign, or reassign the MGID of a group of M2M devices, the M2M system 100 may update a group of M2M devices in an efficient manner that reduces overload or the M2M system 100 as a result of the decreased number of control messages involved to update, assign, or reassign an MGID of the group. An example M2M system in which such a single control message may be utilized is shown in and described with respect to FIG. 6, below.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a diagram of an example architecture of a machine-to-machine (M2M) system as shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 5 above illustrating the mobile network operator and the service consumer in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. The architecture 600 shown in FIG. 6 may be for an M2M system 100 as shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 5, wherein architecture 600 includes a mobile network operator (MNO) 610 to manage one or more M2M devices such as M2M device 614 and/or M2M device 616, and/or one or more non M2M devices such as non M2M device 612 and/or non M2M device 618. In any event, the architecture 600 may be implemented in an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) compliant network such as an IEEE 802.16 network such as an IEEE 802.16e network to implement a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) system, or an IEEE 802.16m network to implement a WiMAX-II system, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. In such embodiments, the non MWM devices may be capable of operating according to an IEEE 802.16 standard, and the M2M devices also may be capable of operating according to an IEEE 802.16 standard, in particular an IEEE 802.16p standard, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. Alternatively, architecture 600 may be in compliance with a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard such as a 3G system, or may be in compliance with a Long Term Evolution (LTE) or an LTE-Advanced system such as a 4G system, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, both M2M devices and non M2M devices may be capable of directly communicating with mobile network operator 610, and in some embodiments, a non M2M device 618 may be capable of indirectly communicating with mobile network operator 610 via an M2M device 616 in order for such a non M2M device 618 to provide M2M services. The devices may communicate via a wireless air interface via an IEEE 802.16 compliant base station 624 as pant of an IEEE 802.16 Access Service Network (ASN) 620. The Access Service Network 620 may he coupled to a Connectivity Service Network (CSN) 622 which may include one or more M2M servers 626. The M2M server 626 may then couple with an M2M service consumer 628, which may be coupled to mobile network operator 610 via a network such as the Internet, in order for M2M service consumer 62$ to receive M2M services from the M2M devices and/or non M2M devices via the mobile network operator 610. It should be noted that the architecture 600 an M2M network as shown in FIG. 5 is merely one example network architecture wherein other types of network architectures may be provided to implement an M2M system 100, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a flowchart of a method to update a machine-to-machine (M2M) group identifier in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. Method 700 illustrates one particular embodiment of a method to update the group identifier for a group of M2M devices. However, in one or more alternative embodiments, various other orders of the blocks of method 700 may be implemented, with more or fewer blocks, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. At block 710, the base station 110 transmits a group identifier message to multiple M2M devices in an M2M group 118. In some embodiments, the group identifier messages may be transmitted to multiple M2M groups, such as M2M group 118 and M2M group 124, for example where the group identifier will be assigned or updated for both groups to be the same group identifier for both groups where the two groups are combined into a single group. The group identifier message may indicate to the M2M devices in the M2M group to update, assign or reassign the MGID of the group, and the group identifier message may be transmitted as a multicast paging message (PAG-ADV) transmitted to the M2M devices in an idle mode. The paging may be initiated by the base station 110 to broadcast a paging message (PAG_ADV) to the M2M mobile stations in the idle mode where the M2M mobile stations may periodically wake up during a paging listening interval. Alternatively, in a connected mode, the base station 110 may use the M2M Group MAC Control (MGMC) message that includes the MGID value to transmit to multiple M2M devices simultaneously as shown in and described with respect to FIG, 1, above. The base station 110 then listens at block 712 for acknowledgment message (ACK) from the M2M devices in the M2M group. In a connected mode, acknowledgments may by the M2M devices may be made via an M2M acknowledgment (ACK) MAC Control message (MAMC). In either an idle mode or a connected mode, the base station 110 then determines at decision block 714 if acknowledgment messages have been received from all of the M2M devices in the M2M group. If ACK messages have been received by all of the M2M devices, the base station 110 may then communicate with the M2M devices using the updated, assigned, or reassigned group identifier at block 722. However, if the base station 110 does not receive ACK messages from all of the M2M devices, the base station 110 then determines at block 716 which of the M2M devices from which no ACK message was received. The base station 110 then transmits at block 718 a unicast message or multiple messages at block to the individual M2M devices in the M2M group or groups that did not transmit art ACK message back to the base station 110. The base station 110 then receives ACK messages from those individual M2M devices at block 720. In some embodiments, the unicast message or messages may be transmitted multiple times until ACK messages have been received from all of the M2M devices, at which time the base station 110 may communicate with the M2M devices using the update, assigned, or reassigned group identifier at block 722.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a block diagram of an information handling system capable of updating a machine-to-machine (M2M) group identifier in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. Information handling system 800 of FIG. 8 may tangibly embody one or more of any of the network elements or devices of the M2M system 100 as shown in and described with respect to FIG. 1. For example, information handling system 800 may represent the hardware base station 110, and/or any of the M2M mobile stations, with greater or fewer components depending on the hardware specifications of the particular device or network element. Although information handling system 800 represents one example of several types of computing platforms, information handling system 800 may include more or fewer elements and/or different arrangements of elements than shown in FIG. 8, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in these respects.

In one or more embodiments, information handling system 800 may include art applications processor 810 and a baseband processor 812. Applications processor 810 may be utilized as a general purpose processor to run applications and the various subsystems for information handling system 800. Applications processor 810 may include a single core or alternatively may include multiple processing cores wherein one or more of the cores may comprise a digital signal processor or digital signal processing core. Furthermore, applications processor 810 may include a graphics processor or coprocessor disposed on the same chip, or alternatively a graphics processor coupled to applications processor 810 may comprise a separate, discrete graphics chip. Applications processor 810 may include on hoard memory such as cache memory, and further may be coupled to external memory devices such as synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) 814 for storing and/or executing applications during operation, and NAND flash 816 for storing applications and/or data even when information handling system 800 is powered off. Baseband processor 812 may control the broadband radio functions for information handling system 800. Baseband processor 812 may store code for controlling such broadband radio functions in a NOR flash 818. Baseband processor 812 controls a wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver 820 which is used for modulating and/or demodulating broadband network signals, for example for communicating via a WiMAX network based on IEEE 802.16p or a 3GPP LTE or LTE-Advanced, network or the like. The WWAN transceiver 820 couples to one or more power amps 822 respectively coupled to one or more antennas 824 for sending and receiving radio-frequency signals via the WWAN broadband network. The baseband processor 812 also may control a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver 826 coupled to one or more suitable antennas 828 and which may be capable of communicating via a Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and/or an amplitude modulation (AM) or frequency modulation (FM) radio standard including an IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n standard or the like. It should be noted that these are merely example implementations for applications processor 810 and baseband processor 812, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in these respects. For example, any one or more of SDRAM 814, NAND flash 816 and/or NOR flash 818 may comprise other types of memory technology such as magnetic memory, chalcogenide memory, phase change memory, or ovonic memory, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect.

In one or more embodiments, applications processor 810 may drive a display 830 for displaying various information or data, and may further receive touch input from a user via a touch screen 832 for example via a finger or a stylus. An ambient light sensor 834 may be utilized to detect an amount of ambient light in which information handling system 800 is operating, for example to control a brightness or contrast value for display 830 as is function of the intensity of ambient light detected by ambient light sensor 834. One or more cameras 836 may be utilized to capture images that are processed by applications processor 810 and/or at least temporarily stored in NAND flash 816. Furthermore, applications processor may couple to is gyroscope 838, accelerometer 840, magnetometer 842, audio coder/decoder (CODEC) 844, and/or global positioning system (GPS) controller 846 coupled to an appropriate GPS antenna 848, for detection of various environmental properties including location, movement, and/or orientation of information handling system 800. Alternatively, controller 846 may comprise a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) controller. Audio CODEC 844 may be coupled to one or more audio ports 850 to provide microphone input and speaker outputs either via internal devices and/or via external devices coupled to information handling system via the audio ports 850 for example via a headphone and microphone jack. In addition, applications processor 810 may couple to one or more input/output (I/O) transceivers 852 to couple to one or more I/O ports 854 such as a universal serial bus (USB) port, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port, a serial port, and so on. Furthermore, one or more of the I/O transceivers 852 may couple to one or more memory slots $56 for optional removable memory such as secure digital (SD) card or a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in these respects.

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of an information handling system of FIG. 8 that optionally may include a touch screen in accordance with one or more embodiments. FIG. 9 shows an example implementation of information handling system 800 of FIG. 8 tangibly embodied as a cellular telephone, smartphone, or tablet type device or the like. In one or more embodiments, the information handling system 800 may comprise the base station 110 and/or any of the mobile stations of FIG. 1, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. The information handling system 800 may comprise a housing 910 having a display 830 which may include a touch screen 832 for receiving tactile input control and commands via a finger 916 of a user and/or a via stylus 918 to control one or more applications processors 810. The housing 910 may house one or more components of information handling system 800, for example one or more applications processors 810, one or more of SDRAM 814, NAND flash 816. NOR flash 818, baseband processor 812, and/or WWAN transceiver 820. The information bundling system 800 further may optionally include a physical actuator area 920 which may comprise a keyboard or buttons for controlling information handling system via one or more buttons or switches. The information handling system 800 may also include a memory port or slot 856 for receiving non-volatile memory such as flash memory, for example in the form of a secure digital (SD) card or a subscriber identity module (SIM) card. Optionally, the information handling system 800 may further include one or more speakers and/or microphones 924 and is connection port 854 for connecting the information handling system 800 to another electronic device, dock, display, battery charger, and so on in addition, information handling system 800 may include a headphone or speaker jack 928 and one or more cameras 836 on one or more sides of the housing 910. It should be noted that the information handling system 800 of FIG. 9 may include more or fewer elements than shown, in various arrangements, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect.

Although the claimed subject matter has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it should be recognized that elements thereof may be altered by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and/or scope of claimed subject matter. It is believed that the subject matter pertaining to a group media access control message for machine-to-machine devices and method to update a group identifier and/or many of its attendant utilities will be understood by the forgoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may he made in the form, construction and/or arrangement of the components thereof without departing, from the scope and/or spirit of the claimed subject matter or without sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form herein before described being merely an explanatory embodiment thereof, and/or further without providing substantial change thereto. It is the intention of the claims to encompass and/or include such changes. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An article of manufacture comprising a storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, if executed, result in: determining if two or more devices belong to a multicast group; and if two or more devices belong to a multicast group, transmitting a media access control (MAC) message to the multicast group as a multicast message.
 2. An article of manufacture as claimed claim 1, wherein the multicast group comprises a machine-to-machine (M2M) group.
 3. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 1, wherein the media access control message comprises a machine-to-machine group MAC control (MGMC) message.
 4. An article of manufacture as claimed m claim 1, wherein the media access control message comprises parameters or instructions, or combinations thereof.
 5. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 1, wherein the instructions if executed further result in transmitting the media access control message during a paging listening interval if one or more of the devices are in an idle mode.
 6. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 1, wherein the instructions if executed further result in receiving a machine-to-machine acknowledgment MAC control message (MAMC) in reply to the MAC message from one or more devices in the multicast group.
 7. An article of manufacture comprising a storage medium having instructions stored thereon that if executed, result in transmitting a group message containing information for one or more devices of one or more groups as a multicast message to the one or more devices in the one or more groups; determining if an acknowledgment message is received from the one or more devices in reply to the group message; and if an acknowledgment message was not received by one or more of the devices, transmitting the group message as a unicast message to the one or more devices from which no acknowledgment message was received.
 8. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 7, wherein the group message comprises a machine-to-machine group identifier (MGID).
 9. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 7, wherein the instructions if executed further result in repeating said transmitting the group message as a unicast message until an acknowledgment message is received from all or nearly all of the devices.
 10. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 7, wherein the group message is transmitted as a paging message.
 11. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 7, wherein the unicast message comprises ranging response message.
 12. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 7, wherein the group message comprises a machine-to-machine group MAC control (MGMC) message.
 13. An article of manufacture comprising a storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, if executed, result in: receiving a group message containing information for one or more devices it one or more groups as a multicast message from a base station; transmitting an acknowledgment message to the base station in reply to receiving the group message; and updating a group identifier based at least in part on the group message.
 14. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 13, wherein the group message comprises a machine-to-machine group identifier (MGID).
 15. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 13, wherein the acknowledgment message is carried in a ranging request message.
 16. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 13, wherein the instructions if executed further result in: receiving a unicast message from the base station, wherein the unicast message carries the group identifier; and transmitting an acknowledgment message to the base station in reply to the unicast message.
 17. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 16, wherein the unicast message comprises a ranging response message and the acknowledgment message sent in reply to the unicast Message comprises a ranging request message.
 18. An information handling system, comprising: a baseband processor coupled to one or more wireless transceivers, wherein the baseband processor is configured to: transmit a group message containing information for one or more devices in one or more groups as a multicast message in the one or more devices in the one or more groups; determine if an acknowledgment message is received from the one or more devices in reply to the group message; and transmit the group message as a unicast message to the one or devices from which no acknowledgment message was received if an acknowledgment message was not received by one or more of the devices.
 19. An information handling system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the group message comprises a machine-to-machine group identifier (MGID).
 20. An information handling system, comprising: a baseband processor coupled to one or more wireless transceivers, wherein the baseband processor is configured to: receive a group message for one or more devices in one or more groups as a multicast message from a base station; transmit an acknowledgment message to the base station in reply to receiving the group message; and update a group identifier based at least in part on the group message.
 21. An information handling system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the group message comprises a machine-to-machine group identifier (MGID).
 22. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 20, wherein the acknowledgment message is carried in a ranging request message.
 23. An information handling system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the baseband processor is further configured to: receive a unicast message from the base station, wherein the unicast message carries the group identifier: and transmit an acknowledgment message to the base station in reply to the unicast message.
 24. An information handling system as claimed in claim 23, whereat the unicast message comprises a ranging response message and the acknowledgment message sent in reply to the unicast message comprises a ranging request message.
 25. An information handling system as claimed in claim 20 further comprising an applications processor coupled to the baseband processor, and a touch screen to receive an input to control the applications processor. 